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No More Manual Stick Shift Cars?


Wolfbane

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19 minutes ago, DizRotus said:

The forthcoming 2020 mid-engine Corvette can not be had with 3 pedals.  Only an automatic will be available.  The cost to make a manual transaxle for that package was prohibitive.

 

No issue for me because that car is "COST PROHIBITIVE" to my "realm of financial feasibility"!😥  Even if I COULD afford the CAR, I would be bankrupted by the insurance for it!  Besides, I am at the age where one of my main goals is extension of my life-span instead of shortening it!🤣

 

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Back from Atlanta.  Technically today is my Dad's 90th birthday....  celebrated it over prior two days.

 

That said....  he still drives.  He still drives a Lexus.  He still drives a Lexus (SC300??)  I'm not terribly familiar with their lineup.

 

None the less....  it's a manual shift.

 

You've not seen scary until......

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Three-speed on the column...as my Father's 1964 Chevy step-side aged, whenever I WAS FORCED TO RESORT TO USING IT, I spent more and more time coasting to a stop on the side of road, and then getting the hood up and trying to get those DAMNED SHIFTER PLATES up on the driver side firewall back to where they were correctly aligned just to get anywhere while driving it!   MY GAWD they were a ROYAL PITA!  Those plates were SO well-worn, to the point where even the application of a gallon-sized can of grease would do ABSOLUTELY no good at all!😂  Even though my father had relatively-recently gotten an engine re-build, he finally gave up the ghost on that truck, due to having to deal with those plates himself and traded it in on a new 1972 Chevy C-10 Custom long bed...with, of course, an automatic tranny!  When we went to pick it up at the dealership, he matter-of-factly told me, that this would be the last truck he would ever need. Although the truck came "fully-loaded", he had declined my wise advice to get it with the option of the Turbo 400 HD tranny instead of the turbo 350 tranny...and his REAL woes began in 1973 with the advent of the "Arab Oil Embargo"....his tranny choice for that 4-bolt-main 350 V-8 truck engine, with 4-bbl-carburetor cost him dearly at the pump!  Even on a good day for that truck, it only got around 8-10 MPG!  On the other hand...my 73 Poncho GP "J" model, with big block 400, 4-bbl, and Hedman headers into twin turbo exhausts and turbo 400 tranny would get 16-18 MPG on the interstate at 85mph!  BTW, I think the best Poncho engine ever made is the Big Block 400, myself! ...for a variety of reasons.  My father kept that truck until he died in 1988...he had sworn that it would last him the rest of his life!  But the last three or four years of his life he seldom drove it!  I think he was worried about KARMA and his "the rest of my life" statement!  It had well over 150,000 miles on it, engine needed a top-end rebuild (minimum)...it was burning up too much engine oil!, he was using tranny leak fix in it, radiator stop-leak, and the rear-end was leaking a bit...the paint was all but gone on the top of the cab and the hood(he never garaged it!)...lots of surface rust there...but it DID "last him the rest of his life"!  Just a few hours before he passed away, he called me into his bedroom...one of the things he told me was "I told you that damned truck would last me the rest of my life, and I was right!"...then we both laughed about it, even though he was dealing with serious pain ...and then we talked together about other things....for the last time....

 

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2 hours ago, DizRotus said:

The forthcoming 2020 mid-engine Corvette can not be had with 3 pedals.  Only an automatic will be available.  The cost to make a manual transaxle for that package was prohibitive.

 

 

Well that's going to be one car I won't likely ever own. My C4 was fun but relatively under powered in comparison.

 

Wb

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On 10/12/2019 at 5:17 PM, WillyBob said:

a column shift would stop any modern car thief.

I enjoy both. Living in the boonies, I don't have to spend a lot of time with a foot on the clutch. In traffic/city, automatic all the way.

 

I learned a manual on a motorcycle.  Learned to not like manuals driving semi. Stop & go on the 405...ugh

I learned to drive in a '51 Chevy with 3 on the tree,my semi truck at work has an 18 speed,love it but I hear ya on getting stuck in traffic with it.

I also live in the boonies and love the stick shift in my car and shifting it and my motorcycles on country roads.

I own 3 Harleys including an old Ironhead Sportster that shifts on the right side like vintage Brit bikes and I have a  6 speed in my '01 SS Camaro.

 

 

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Just now, WillyBob said:

I'm guessing they are still looking for drivers. Had a gent approach me about OTR for him when I was coming back from IN last fall.

Was eating breakfast at the motel I overnighted at. Talking over coffee

 

[see, I can/do blend in]

If you mean where I work no ,it's all local and a union job I was lucky to land. I had a friend working there that referred me,only 7 drivers there counting me.

I did OTR for a while and hated it,been running local for years doing everything from Chip trucks to dump trucks of all types and sizes,at Schnitzer I run end dumps like the one pictured as well as flatbeds,dry vans and roll off box trucks. Early morning start time is the same every day at 04:45,weekends off.

The first hour is a driver meeting we get our dispatch over coffee and a BS session then do a few stretches to loosen up before we go so our pre trip.

Great pay and bennies,time and a half over 8 hours and double time over 10 hours. Company supplied boots,prescription safety glasses etc.  Company phone with bluetooth.

I started there 3 weeks ago and will probably retire from there,5 years to get vested and I'll have a pension so I pretty stoked to have landed this gig.

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On 10/13/2019 at 1:30 PM, YK Thom said:

As more manufacturers adopt CVT transmissions the numbers of manuals will continue to drop.

CVT.  Bletch.  I mostly see them on lower end small vehicles.  Have you ever driven one?  It feels like one long slip of the transmission.  I think that the dual dry clutch automatics will take over the standard transmissions spot in the drivetrain.

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8 minutes ago, CECAA850 said:

CVT.  Bletch.  I mostly see them on lower end small vehicles.  Have you ever driven one?  It feels like one long slip of the transmission.  I think that the dual dry clutch automatics will take over the standard transmissions spot in the drivetrain.

Cvts vary quite a bit. The one I had in my civic hatchback sport was great (a standard auto woudl still be a little better).  However the Nissan I have driven in the past with Cvts were terrible.  I also didn't care much for the WRX with CVT that I drove.   They will likely get better as the technology improves, but to what point?   Eh.... 

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32 minutes ago, dtr20 said:

My 2017 Honda civic si is a manual and the civic type r are manuals. They still exist, but yes, unfortunately rare

 

Honda makes great engines and manual transmissions (if you change the transmission fluid regularly). That said in my experience, their automatic transmissions reguire constant maintenance and are the weak link. You have to use Honda or Acura auto transmission fluid only and never, ever, flush them as that is just asking for problems. I keep Honda and Acura Auto Trans fluid in my stash by the case load and have not had any issues as a result. I've had both virgin and used Honda Transmission Fluid run through the local lab and it is nothing like anything else they've tested.

 

If you find your Civic's manual transmission popping out of gear when cold or find it harder than normal to shift cold it's time to change out that fluid. When well maintained, the Honda manual transmission shifts like butter.

 

Wb

 

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Honda makes great engines and manual transmissions (if you change the transmission fluid regularly). That said in my experience, their automatic transmissions reguire constant maintenance and are the weak link. You have to use Honda or Acura auto transmission fluid only and never, ever, flush them as that is just asking for problems. I keep Honda and Acura Auto Trans fluid in my stash by the case load and have not had any issues as a result. I've had both virgin and used Honda Transmission Fluid run through the local lab and it is nothing like anything else they've tested.
 
If you find your Civic's manual transmission popping out of gear when cold or find it harder than normal to shift cold it's time to change out that fluid. When well maintained, the Honda manual transmission shifts like butter.
 
Wb
 
Ya, Honda convinced me to change my tranny fluid around 30k miles. I think it's way overkill, but oh well. I traded in my last civic si with over 200k, changed the clutch twice

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

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4 minutes ago, dtr20 said:

Ya, Honda convinced me to change my tranny fluid around 30k miles. I think it's way overkill, but oh well. I traded in my last civic si with over 200k, changed the clutch twice

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk
 

 

I do my own maintenance and change out the transmission fluid every 10K miles or two years whichever comes first. I changed the LTF manual transmission and differential fluid in my BMW at 30K miles. Used differential fluid smells like pig 💩 with a very low WAF after it waifs into the house. There is no such thing as a life time fluid. Unless you want a short life time vehicle.

 

Wb

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22 minutes ago, CECAA850 said:

Wow, that seems excessive.  Is that recommended?

 

WRT transmissions: Not by Honda or BMW. But they both want to sell more cars.

 

WRT engine oil: Both recommend 15K or one year for synthetic motor oil, whichever comes first. I always change my fluids and oil filters by time except for the wife's CRV as I don't put many miles on my cars.

 

Wb

 

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On 10/13/2019 at 3:10 PM, DizRotus said:

The forthcoming 2020 mid-engine Corvette can not be had with 3 pedals.  Only an automatic will be available.

True and it just feels like more fun with a manual, but really like the new Corvette it has an 8 speed automatic. 8 speeds would probably deliver more power evenly and shift faster than a manual, 0-60 in under 3 seconds it pretty good for a showroom car.

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